Genetic control of viviparity in common bean

ABSTRACT: In common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) harvesting is carried out in the field. It is therefore necessary that cultivars be tolerant to viviparity, i.e., germination of grains still in the pods. Study of the percentage of germination of beans in the pods under laboratory conditions, where humidity content is high, has been proposed. Furthermore, under question is whether the thickness of the pod wall affects water uptake by the pods and, consequently, viviparity. Thus, the aim of the present study was to verify if there is variance among progenies for viviparity and if it is influenced by pod thickness. We assessed the parents, Pérola and ESAL 686, the F1, and a number of segregating generations in two crop seasons, in relation to the percentage of germination of seeds in the pods (PGSP) and pod wall thickness (PWT), and data on individual plants were obtained. The same traits were also assessed using the F2:3, F3:4 and F4:5 progenies. Taking into account the genetic and phenotypic parameters estimates, especially the level of high heritability, selection to less viviparity in common bean has to be carried out to evaluate PGSP in progenies.